#to because everyone likes it so much better than cbs ghosts

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

tbh I feel like I would like bbc ghosts more if I hadn't heard so much about how it was so much better than that "awful" show I happen to also like

[scarytat]

Been enjoying the new season of CBS Ghosts. I’ve written about it before but it’s so indicative of the differences between North American and British culture. The writer of Derry girls said that if the show had been set in America everyone would be popular, pretty and successful. I get this a bit with CBS Ghosts too.

Rather than Jay and Samantha actually being incompetent like Alison and Mike, it is circumstances beyond their control that scupper them, not personal failings. They also try to be good and moral, Alison and Mike are sometimes devious and immoral. Also the dynamic of Samantha and Jay is more traditional, it is Jay who ultimately is the head of the house (having to defend her honour, being the more practical one, having the final say on the house matters, having Samantha always ask Jay almost for permission) rather than Alison wearing the trousers so to speak.

The CBS ghosts are immoral, but only accidentally through naivety. There’s a “it was a different time and they have to modernise” angle, rather than the BBC ghosts fully knowing they’re wrong but not caring. The sorry episode shows this, they know full well it’s not acceptable, but it’s about what they can get away with. Whereas, the CBS ghosts are constantly seeing the error of their ways and changing. They have definitely toned down the allusions to murder and crime this season, as if to say “they are atoning for their amoral past”.

There isn’t a real sense of disappointment or angst from the CBS ghosts, it is all working out better and better for them. A lot of the storylines centre around the theme of being dead and this being unable to achieve the success or impact they had in life with relationships and achievements. This is the classic “British comedy is about the losers, American comedy is about the winners” troupe. The BBC ghosts have the opposite problem, they were outsiders in real life so what they struggle with as ghosts is actually having to get along with others.

Also, as a note. Is it not a bit uncomfortable that Isaac’s relationship wasn’t about lovers against the world like the straight relationships in the show? It almost reduced Nigel to the level of friend, like Isaac was choosing between two friends not his love. I dunno, I just can’t imagine a straight couple in the show having to compromise in the same way.

Class! There is a weird absence of the acknowledgment of social class in CBS Ghosts. The older ghosts especially are completely devoid of the physical indicators. They all act quite modern, not just in terms of speech (the words, the volume, the cadence), but also mannerisms. They all rush about and use their hands a lot, and speak to one another sitting down. Alberta, Hetty and Isaac especially, they aren’t refined enough. Even in a movie from the 1940s/50s people just moved and spoke in a much more restrained way. I know BBC Ghosts goes for historical accuracy 110%, but it takes me out of it so much watching CBS Ghosts, they seem much more like a fancy dress party gone wrong sometimes.

EDIT: How could I forget the most perfect example, the plague ghosts! In BBC ghosts it is the gruesome disease that is scary, and the joke is it’s the same actors. Whereas in CBS Ghosts the joke is that they are ugly. That’s it, ugly people=scary and immoral. Lesser. It’s like CBS didn’t want to have their glamorous actors be “made ugly” because ugliness is associated with badness. Also, the entire joke that the CBS plague ghosts are ugly people and therefore amoral will not age well.

Thoughts?

[jmagnabo92]

CBS Ghosts - Pilot - Ghosts on the Accident

OOOOH the reaction to Sam’s accident.  

Please note, some of my commentary mentions things for throughout both seasons of the show so far.

Gifs and discussion below.

Okay - when did the ghosts gather?  When Jay went running out of the room?  When the ambulance showed up?  When?  Also, is Alberta missing in this scene?  Is Sass?  How ARE THEY NOT THERE?  Like this is a BIG EVENT - ALL of the ghosts should be there.

ANYWHO.

It’s AMAZING how attached Hetty became in just a short while to Sam.  She went from “ew I hope we’re not related” to “Eh, she’s nice” to “How dare you murder my kin - I love her” real fast.  

I can’t believe she accuses Trevor of murder though - Trevor is NOT the murdering kind, Hetty.  Literally, Alberta has buried bodies, Flower has chased down runners, Thor’s an actual murderer, and big spoilers here: your son (should be grandson) murdered one of your own and you’re accusing him without letting him explain???? RUDE.

Side note, Pete raised his hands to stop her and potentially step in.

I LOVE that Trevor defends himself.  He looks SO YOUNG and AFRAID, but like he does with the ‘embarrassment’ conversation - he stands up for himself.  He just wanted to beat the vase - he wasn’t thinking about Sam or anyone else getting hurt.  He just wanted to win - and he would never hurt anyone.  

This moment right here is when it became clear that Trevor was far too innocent (might not be the right word) and kind to really be the image he projects.  

Poor kid.  

Also, one thing to note - I think he’s afraid that he might’ve caused Sam to die young because he absolutely reliving his own death.  As the most recently dead, there’s no way that he’s not flashing back to his death.  

OMG that makes Hetty accusing him of murder & the situation where everyone’s looking at him like he’s guilty SO MUCH WORSE.

For some reason, I don’t have a gif of Pete saying that he’s right and defending him, but I know he did it and I’m SO GLAD that Trevor has back up because no one else was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and that just bites.

Trevor deserves better.

Okay - when did Jay change?  Did he leave Sam to change?  

Also, Thor - Husband guy = sad, of course he is!  Sam’s nearly dead and might not make it!  Why wouldn’t he be sad.

OOOOh - Isaac makes a good point - they fought over this dumbass rundown house and he would feel SO GUILTY if she didn’t make it.  Like fighting over the house and then she dies - ouch.  Anyway, I can’t imagine how terrified Jay is right now.  

Side note - what did the ghosts in the shed/basement think about these events?

Poor Jay.

I love this tidbit about Flower.  We learn right away that she cares deeply for Ira and that he was WITH her when she ‘wandered over to the property’.  

Also, it’s so weird how connected she is to Ira only for her to later say ‘she’s got commitment issues, man’.  

Side note, she tries to cover up Ira’s feelings for her with “also, bear.”  So...

So, we learn something about Pete, too.  

A) Married to Carol

B) Fought with her the day he died. 

Pete looks so chill talking about the fight with Carol and just sitting there like... life lesson quietly.  

OMG this Speech about how you never know when the last moment is going to be and how important it is.  And it’s SO GOOD seeing Sam&Jay - particularly Jay as Jay goes through hell watching her go through all these things and just HOPING that she makes it through.

Side note - obviously, it’s the show so they wouldn’t hire Jay’s parents/sister for this one scene, but with knowing that ALL Bela did was send some flowers, I have to wonder if he went through this alone?  Because they could’ve just mentioned his family supporting him in through this.

In fact, based off the off-hand remarks about the money, I assume that his parents were less than supportive - I really, really want more on that.  

Poor Jay, though.

ANYWAY, that’ll come later.

OOOOOKAYYYYYY.  So, Pete ruins a fantastic speech by remembering what the fight was about - which that’s one of the dumbest fights to have and not resolve.  

This tells us ALOT about Carol/Pete - they fought about something small, didn’t bother to make up and then he died.  He says he thinks that she did it to spite him because ‘she didn’t even like donut holes’, and we know she was cheating, but you have to wonder - how did they get there?  How did a 16 year marriage get to that kind of place?  

Also, knowing what we know about Pete ‘taking it’, I wonder if they both had like a score card?  I wonder when things fell apart?  I wonder if Carol was as hurt that Pete died after such a pointless fight?  I really want to know.

OOOOOOH, Side note - is this the only time Hetty uses a shortened name?

LOL - Pete’s just like “Okay, calm down - anyway, life is precious” like he didn’t just spaz about donut hole fights.  

LMAO - what an ending - Thor is like “Donut holes?”  and Pete is just like “It’s - well, nothing...”

Still, this scene gave us good info on Trevor, Pete, and Flower - the youngest ghosts whose deaths are the closest all have stronger reactions to what happened.  

Pete & Flower talking about their deaths in some detail.  

Trevor looks white as a sheet, very freaked out in the beginning about possibly causing Sam’s death.  He absolutely doesn’t want someone to be dead because of him.  Poor Trev has been through it.

Thanks for reading :). Feel free to chat about it.

[missielynne]

If you had to choose (and I'd love to hear why!)...

Spuffy or Klaroline?

CBS Ghosts or BBC Ghosts?

Jay or Mike?

Sam or Alison?

BtVS or AtS?

Charmed or The Vampire Diaries?

have fun!!

Spuffy or Klaroline? (Although Spuffy definitely had their funny, fuzzy moments, it seemed like Spuffy was much more of a fight than Klaroline was. Like Buffy fought too much re her attraction to him compared to what Caroline did with Klaus, which made Klaroline more entertaining and easy to watch.)

CBS Ghosts or BBC Ghosts? (While I do love both, I prefer CBS because it has the time and willingness to lean into its extraordinary premise more than BBC, which relies much more on ordinary day to day and treats its ghosts by and large more like living people than ghosts in spite of the show's title.)

Jay or Mike? (Similar reasoning to why I love CBS more: it has the time to turn Jay into a real fleshed out character who has his own relationship with the Woodstone ghosts compared to Mike, although my favorite ep of BBC, Bump in the Night, does a really good job showing that if BBC had the time or the inclination, they could do something with Mike and the ghosts that would be so endearing and funny. I wanted more for sure!)

Sam or Alison? (Yet again, love both, and I am prefacing this by saying that I don't think Alison is a heartless or uncaring person and she DOES love her ghosts for sure, but just based on what we see, Sam is just naturally more open and ghost-friendly compared to Alison). I mean Alison and Kitty have the sweetest most caring relationship on BBC, the sort of relationship that Sam has with everyone on CBS. Sam is just allowed to give me more than Alison is.

BtVS or AtS?: Considering how long it took me to watch AtS because I thought Angel would be all broody and sad like he was on Buffy, I am so surprised this is my answer. But not really. I love that they allowed him to be funny and awkward on his own show and his dynamic with Cordy and Doyle at the beginning, and Cordy and the others later is just priceless. He and Cordy play off one another so well and I definitely love him more with her than with Buffy.

Charmed or The Vampire Diaries? Definitely Charmed because it gets to be its own thing to me and I can love it for what it is, whereas I read the TVD books before I watched the show and the changes between the two just didn't really make the show better for me.

This was so fun! Thank you, Nonnie!

[fromxxthexxashes]

My thoughts on Supernatural if it were on different networks/platforms.

ABC: No gore. No brutal murders on screen. So much melodrama. A lot more characters. Many love triangles. Maybe Destiel, but if it was leaning that way they would have had a complicated on and off thing. It would probably play second fiddle to an over complicated romance for Sam.

HBO: More gore and darker themes. More explicit content (lots of seggs). Also F-bombs. Mostly from Dean. Dean’s alcolism and Sam’s demon blood addiction would have been highlighted more and it would be way darker. Destiel would be a thing and they would probably get together pretty early on.

Amazon: So much more blood. Like all the blood and all the gore. Hard core seggs. Also SO SO SO many f-bombs and other taboo curses not allowed on network television. Again, most of them from Dean. Just watch The Boys. It would basically be that, but switch the supes for monsters.

NBC: imagine if supernatural had a baby with a procedural cop/hospital/fire-fighter show. It would basically be monster of the week all the time, with some more romance. Destiel is like a fifty-fifty chance (in the later seasons when the general viewers are less afraid of gay people), but if they were together they wouldn’t get as much attention as Sam’s romance, which would probably be Eileen and everyone would love them, but still.

FOX: It would have gotten canceled after season three.

Netflix: Possibly better VFX, depending how popular it is. Shorter seasons, so way less filler episodes. I feel like it would be way more dreary or way more action packed. They would certainly queer bait Destiel, but I feel like they would be more into it than the cw (Byler vibes yk). Seeing as it is a mostly male show with mostly white leads and no sapphics in the leading role - it would not have been canceled after one season. Also seeing as Netflix wasn’t making their own shows in 2005, the time-line would have been pushed WAY up.

CBS: Less gore. It would be a procedural, monster of the week thing. It would still have its long run time. Way more drama and more suspense. Probably less humor. The only humor would come from some flat jokes or like a beloved comic relief character. Probably lots of copoganda.

Disney channel: No gore at all. Also no death, except rarely mentioned things in the past. John would probably be written as a better father. Dean and Sam would be high schoolers. They wouldn’t kill the monsters, they just put them in monster jail or some shit. Think Wizards if Waverly place (there would probably be a cross over tbh). Sam would definitely be a monster fucker dater. Him and Madison would probably be endgame. Destiel would 100% be a thing, but that’s because they’d make Cas a girl. Cas would still be an Angel, with fluffy white wings and white clothing. Also, no demons, just vampires, ghosts, and goblins and shit like that.

Nickoldian: A) An incredibly overdramatic show on teennick. Think soap opera for teenagers. They would probably make Cas a girl and there would be a love triangle with Sam and Dean. They go to like a private school for monster hunters or something. Horrible ratings. Would barely make it to 2 seasons, but it would a have a very small, but devoted fan base. B) Deeply unserious. It would probably involve Sam and Dean befriending most of the supernatural creatures. It would involve minor comical injuries mixed with mild adult humor (like Icarly and Victorious). It would be Dan Sch*ender era, so, you know, f**t.

Cartoon Network: it would be a cartoon (duh). No blood or onscreen deaths. Either a spin off of Scooby-Doo or very reminiscent of it. Either way, it would have the vibes of Mystery Incorporated. They would definitely lean more into the “Sam is a nerd” thing. If it was made during recent years, they would incorporate more magic, and Dean and Cas would be together and sickeningly adorable.

Freeform: It would be during the ABC family era technically. They’re teenagers but they’d be played by people in their late 20s. So much melodrama. Way less gore. Lots of dead bodies, but no gory deaths. PLL but instead of stalkers it’s monsters. A lot less humor. Inappropriate relationships.

BBC: it would probably be pretty much the same, except they’re, you know, British.

[cbsghostsmetasandtrevor]

CBS Ghosts - Pilot - Ghosts on the Accident

Warning Spoilers May Appear.

Okay - when did the ghosts gather?  When Jay went running out of the room?  When the ambulance showed up?  When?  Also, is Alberta missing in this scene?  Is Sass?  How ARE THEY NOT THERE?  Like this is a BIG EVENT - ALL of the ghosts should be there.

ANYWHO.

It’s AMAZING how attached Hetty became in just a short while to Sam.  She went from “ew I hope we’re not related” to “Eh, she’s nice” to “How dare you murder my kin - I love her” real fast.  

I can’t believe she accuses Trevor of murder though - Trevor is NOT the murdering kind, Hetty.  Literally, Alberta has buried bodies, Flower has chased down runners, Thor’s an actual murderer, and big spoilers here: your son (should be grandson) murdered one of your own and you’re accusing him without letting him explain???? RUDE.

Side note, Pete raised his hands to stop her and potentially step in. He's the mediator for the ghosts, so this makes total sense.

I LOVE that Trevor defends himself.  He looks SO YOUNG and AFRAID, but like he does with the ‘embarrassment’ conversation - he stands up for himself.  He just wanted to beat the vase - he wasn’t thinking about Sam or anyone else getting hurt.  He just wanted to win - and he would never hurt anyone.  

He also wanted to prove himself, so this is truly terrible.

This moment right here is when it became clear that Trevor was far too innocent (might not be the right word) and kind to really be the image he projects.  

Poor kid.  

Also, one thing to note - I think he’s afraid that he might’ve caused Sam to die young because he absolutely reliving his own death.  As the most recently dead, there’s no way that he’s not flashing back to his death.  

OMG that makes Hetty accusing him of murder & the situation where everyone’s looking at him like he’s guilty SO MUCH WORSE.

For some reason, I don’t have a gif of Pete saying that he’s right and defending him, but I am like 95% sure that he did it and I’m SO GLAD that Trevor has back up because no one else was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and that just bites.

Trevor deserves better.

Okay - when did Jay change?  Did he leave Sam to change?  

Also, Thor - Husband guy = sad, of course he is!  Sam’s nearly dead and might not make it!  Why wouldn’t he be sad.

OOOOh - Isaac makes a good point - they fought over this dumbass rundown house and he would feel SO GUILTY if she didn’t make it.  Like fighting over the house and then she dies - ouch.  Anyway, I can’t imagine how terrified Jay is right now.  

Side note - what did the ghosts in the shed/basement think about these events?

Poor Jay.

I love this tidbit about Flower.  We learn right away that she cares deeply for Ira and that he was WITH her when she ‘wandered over to the property’.  

Also, it’s so weird how connected she is to Ira only for her to later say ‘she’s got commitment issues, man’.  

Side note, she tries to cover up Ira’s feelings for her with “also, bear.”  So...

So, we learn something about Pete, too.  

A) Married to Carol

B) Fought with her the day he died. 

Pete looks so chill talking about the fight with Carol and just sitting there like... life lesson quietly.  

OMG this Speech about how you never know when the last moment is going to be and how important it is.  And it’s SO GOOD seeing Sam&Jay - particularly Jay as Jay goes through hell watching her go through all these things and just HOPING that she makes it through.

Side note - obviously, it’s the show so they wouldn’t hire Jay’s parents/sister for this one scene, but with knowing that ALL Bela did was send some flowers, I have to wonder if he went through this alone?  Because they could’ve just mentioned his family supporting him in through this.

In fact, based off the off-hand remarks about the money, I assume that his parents were less than supportive - I really, really want more on that.  

Poor Jay, though.

ANYWAY, that’ll come later.

OOOOOKAYYYYYY.  So, Pete ruins a fantastic speech by remembering what the fight was about - which that’s one of the dumbest fights to have and not resolve.  

This tells us ALOT about Carol/Pete - they fought about something small, didn’t bother to make up and then he died.  He says he thinks that she did it to spite him because ‘she didn’t even like donut holes’, and we know she was cheating, but you have to wonder - how did they get there?  How did a 16 year marriage get to that kind of place?  

Also, knowing what we know about Pete ‘taking it’, I wonder if they both had like a score card?  I wonder when things fell apart?  I wonder if Carol was as hurt that Pete died after such a pointless fight?  I really want to know.

OOOOOOH, Side note - is this the only time Hetty uses a shortened name?

LOL - Pete’s just like “Okay, calm down - anyway, life is precious” like he didn’t just spaz about donut hole fights.

LMAO - what an ending - Thor is like “Donut holes?”  and Pete is just like “It’s - well, nothing...”

Still, this scene gave us good info on Trevor, Pete, and Flower - the youngest ghosts whose deaths are the closest all have stronger reactions to what happened.  

Pete & Flower talking about their deaths in some detail.  

Trevor looks white as a sheet, very freaked out in the beginning about possibly causing Sam’s death.  He absolutely doesn’t want someone to be dead because of him.  Poor Trev has been through it.

Thanks for reading :). Feel free to chat :)

[blogger360ncislarules]

Sunday’s Tracker culminated in a tense dinner between brother and sister.

Season 1, Episode 11 of hit CBS drama introduced Manifest‘s Melissa Roxburgh as Colter’s younger sister, Dr. Dory Shaw, who has followed in their parents’ footsteps and become a college professor. But unlike Colter, who is determined to get to the bottom of what really went down with their father more than 20 years ago — what’s this about Ashton having been a government contractor? — Dory is determined to leave the past behind her and get on with her life. It’s what she’s been trying to do ever since Dad died and she went to live with her Uncle Dave and Aunt Melissa, while Colter stayed back to take care of their mother, Mary.

During the hour, we discovered that Dory is still in touch with her other brother, Russell — who, as we know, Colter believes murdered their father in 2003. We also learned that Dory doesn’t trust Mary’s version of the truth.

Colter’s reunion with Dory will be followed by an even more tense reunion with Russell, who will be played by Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles and first seen in Episode 12 (airing Sunday, May 12). Below, Roxburgh weighs in on Dory’s debut, her respective relationships with Colter, Russell and Mary, and her hopes for appearing alongside both Justin Hartley and Jensen Ackles in Season 2.

TVLINE | The audience at this point knows quite a bit about the Shaw family and what happened with Dad. How much did Melissa know about all this family drama? I’d seen part of the show already, so I knew that it was a complicated family dynamic, but I got a little bit more context in where things were at coming onto the show — not only where Dory was at, but where Colter and Russell and Mom were at, and where things kind of stood. I definitely came into a very complicated dynamic and I’m excited to see how it all unravels.

TVLINE | Throughout this episode, Dory is pleading with Colter to move on and forget about the past. She insists that she has let go of all this family baggage. But do you really think that Dory has moved on? Or has she just done a better job of not letting it consume her the way that it consumes Colter? I think she has definitely done a better job. Despite how she talks in the episode, there’s definitely a part of her that needs to know the truth [about Mom and Dad] just as much, but she knows that if she pulls the thread that it will all unravel, and she doesn’t know what is going to be behind the curtain. I think her hope is to have everyone move on. She seems to be a very logical person, especially with her career and whatnot, but deep down she knows that it’s more complicated than that.

TVLINE | Dory says that she is nothing like her parents. But as Colter points out, Dory is a professor, just like Ashton and Mary. Do you get the sense that, even though Dory was pretty young when everything went to hell, that she looked up to Mom and Dad at a certain point in her life? What she’s doing with her life now is maybe what she had hoped her parents had done. Because I think that there is a respect for the academia aspect of her family, and she is just trying to do right in her own life. She admires a lot of what she was taught growing up, but.…

TVLINE | But Dory has found a more practical way to apply some of the stuff that Dad taught them? Yeah.

TVLINE | When Colter and Dory are first reunited, Dory seems really excited to see her big brother despite the fact that he’s ghosted her for the past year. Why do you think she’s able to let go of that anger so quickly and embrace her brother being back in her life? She knows that he has always been like this. Their family is not normal, especially how they were raised. There’s an understanding about the trauma that he’s been through as well. I don’t think Dory is a judgmental person at all; she really just wants what is best for her two brothers. When Colter does show up, it’s like the prodigal son kind of thing. She’s just happy that he’s back, but then she realizes [later in the episode] that he’s not really back. That’s almost what upsets her more: that he isn’t even showing up with the right intentions. That’s what hurts her the most.

TVLINE | We learn that Dory is still in touch with Russell. Do you know anything more about that relationship? Perhaps Justin or one of the other producers looped you in? I gathered that Dory and Russell are definitely closer than Dory and Colter, but we’ll see how that changes as Dory is more involved in the show, especially with Russell coming back as well. I’m curious to see what happens there. I’m excited to see how the dynamics shift.

TVLINE | It was announced a little less than two weeks after your casting was confirmed that Jensen Ackles had been tapped to play Russell. Were you aware when you were filming your episode that Jensen was attached? Yeah, Justin told me. I’m so excited because one of my first jobs was with Jensen [on Supernatural]. I think it was my second job ever, actually. I was so green and so new, and it would be nice to play with him again.

TVLINE | I feel like the audience is owed a scene, or perhaps an entire episode, where we get Colter, Russell, Dory and Mary in one room…. I want that! I want to know what happens!

TVLINE | I’m just saying, that would make for a pretty epic Thanksgiving episode in Season 2. It would definitely be a dramatic one.

TVLINE | Now, fair warning: I’ve saved perhaps the dumbest question for last. There are no dumb questions.

TVLINE | You haven’t heard it yet! [Laughs]

TVLINE | On Tracker, Colter has mastered the art of tracking someone down — typically within a few days, sometimes within a matter of hours. Now, you were on a show, Manifest, where a plane full of passengers disappeared for five years… Correct…

TVLINE | Now, let’s imagine that Colter Shaw existed in the Manifest universe. Do you think he would have stood a chance at finding that plane sooner? Oh, my word! [Laughs] Ben and Michaela would have totally elicited his help and got him on board to help us figure out what was going on. We were dealing with the trauma of disappearing for five years. We needed someone who was a little bit more logical and still wanted to solve the problem. We did have outside help, but I think with Colter, we might not have lasted four seasons. We would have been done in two seasons.

[obsessivedilettante]

April 2023 round up

3rd concert of the year: Epik High!

(Look at how happy Mithra is right before he slaps us all in the face with water.)

Pretty sure this concert is where I caught The Worst Cold Ever (not covid, not the flu, not anything else — “just” a cold). It knocked me out for a week, I lost my voice, and weeks later I’m still dealing with an annoying cough that is getting better but Won’t. Go. Away.

At least the Worst Cold Ever made me hyper vigilant about wearing a mask in public again, even if I’m definitely in the minority these days.

At any rate, I wore a mask to Anastasia: The Musical. I was obsessed with the movie when I was younger (shout-out to the mid-90’s cartoons creating strong female characters!) so I was excited to finally see the Broadway production, after missing it the previous times it came though town. It was… fine. I enjoyed it. And I understand the reasoning behind making it more realistic and historical, but tbh a talking bat makes everything better (a zombie Rasputin, on the other hand…)

Then I attended my 4th concert of the year: PIXY! I think I would have had more fun if I wasn’t still dealing with the exhausting cold and cough, but it was still fun and they were adorable and even if my two favorite members are no longer a part of the group, the new dynamic works well and everyone should stan PIXY.

Media I have consumed:

Taskmaster (Aus) S1. It was fine. I liked the Toms, but the tasks and the contestants just didn’t fully work for me, which is weird, because I’m pretty sure the task-writing team is the same as the NZ team, and I loved those seasons. So maybe I just don’t understand Australian humor? But I did really enjoy Danielle — she was my favorite by far and who I felt “got” the spirit of what Taskmaster is all about.

Taskmaster (UK) s15. This cast is utterly delightful. I only knew Kiall from Ghosts (oh hey sometime I should mention how much I love both the BBC and CBS versions of that show), but I quickly fell in love with all the others and their respective personalities. It’s magic what the casting team does when assembling five disparate people each season who both must work against each other to win prizes but also must work together as entertainers.

Schmigadoon s2. Or should I say, Schmicago? Much like Melissa, I prefer the golden age of musicals and am way less aware of the era of Sondheim and Schwartz and all those Fosse poses. Yet I am somehow enjoying this more than the first season (which I loved)?

BONUS MENTION because I’m not really sure WTF I’m watching and it’s only halfway aired, but I am mildly obsessed and utterly bewildered and I need to know if anyone else is, too: Mrs. Davis. I can’t even begin to explain this show. But go into it with an open mind and see if you don’t become a little bit obsessed, too.

[kits-ghosts-corner]

You know what? I have very opposing feelings on CBS Ghosts.

Because on one hand, I really feel like giving it a chance - trailers sometimes don’t do a show justice, so it may turn out better than I fear it will turn out (mediocre). And I do like some of the characters, like the viking guy, and it might give us a couple of different stories from BBC Ghosts. And they have the plague ghosts!

On the other hand, especially after watching BBC Ghosts, I feel that it just won’t live up to expectations. I like some of the characters they’ve shown us - like the viking guy - and some seem like fun. At the same time, I’ve got reservations about other characters. Trevor, whilst fine in his own right, is so tuned down - and this is for somewhat a good reason, because the USA has a real struggle with politics and making it funny in comedies without people getting incredibly angry, but is also kind of (for lack of a better word) lame. I WANT to see a conservative get bashed on an American comedy, but it never happens, and whilst CBS Ghosts may surprise me, I feel like it won’t.

Not only that, but shitting Christ I want them to do their POC characters right, and I seriously think they won’t. I don’t want people to fall into 25 stereotypes just so people can laugh. I’m really concerned they won’t do them justice.

Also, I WANT A QUEER CHARACTER WHO DOESN’T FALL INTO THE FRUITY GAY STEREOTYPE!! I’m really concerned that 1) CBS Ghosts just won’t give us a queer character because they’re cowards, and 2) they will execute it horrendously if they do. If it does end up that the (Revolutionary?) war chap is the queer character, it seems like a real piss-take - oh well done, the frilly flamboyant character is gay. I bet they’ll give him a line along the lines of “[raises eyebrow] [makes a very sexual gay joke] [everyone groans] [haha we are funny]” if he’s a queer character. Really, if they want to do BBC Ghosts justice, the viking guy would be queer - he’s much of what the Captain is, given that his description is that he’s meticulous and clean, and he isn’t flamboyant, just like Cap. That could work, if they subvert expectations.

I’m also worried that Samantha (CBS version of Alison) is just going to be really aggravating to watch. I’ve found that American TV (esp. ‘comedies’) has a habit of making their blonde-haired female leads really fucking annoying and I DON’T want that to happen to Samantha/Alison.

TL;DR: I don’t have the highest hopes, but I’m 100% willing to give CBS Ghosts a chance. I’m worried they’re not going to do their POC and any possible queer character(s) justice, but I’m not gonna jump the gun, because who knows? They could pull it off.

[ramonahblog]

Cbs ghosts - Episode 13 - The Vault

Spoilers

...Why don’t they try walking through the wall instead of the door?

Guess I’m never going to get that answer.

Good for you, Alberta. 

Oh geez, appropriate reaction to all the ghosts when Hetty’s husband went down in red light. Trevor’s screams and jump as Hetty did a “was that me” test. Should have worn a better tie, Trevor. 

That was mean. 

Also love Sasappis not loving this development. It is horrifying.  

Jay is right, too soon, Hetty, too soon. 

Hmm, what if it is Hetty’s power but she has to genuinely mean it? 

Oh, I would not want to be a ghost in this universe. 

Also yay, I calculated the day and time a new episode will be for me and it works quite well. Finally, a US show I like that doesn’t make me choose between sleep and watching. 

Overall season opinion: 

Pat-Expy is slowly (very slowly) growing on me. He still gets called Pat-Expy because I’m not going to be able to remember everyone’s names. He gets better (more distinct) from the D&D episode. So there’s that.

Where did the headless greaser go? I want to know how someone who looks fairly modern got beheaded. 

The first two episodes (and Pat-Expy’s death episode) are pretty much a copy-cat of the original but after that it does its own thing. 

Love Sam interacting with ghosts outside the house. 

Show does over-explain a bit - like they don’t trust the audience. Which tbf to the show, I think US shows have a tendency to do that anyway. 

Characters are definitely less morally-dubious than their BBC counterparts. 

Will continue watching. Probably will continue posting these commentaries as well.

Also are US shows legally obligated to do the whole “lie to spouse about enjoying their hobby” plotline they did in the D&D episode? Cause I feel like that’s a theme with US shows. It could be the US shows I watch but it’s a real annoying plotline.

Alberta, Thor & Trevor - My top characters. I love them.  They share first place in rank tier. Even if Trevor has the worst taste in ties. The man doesn’t have to worry about going down to Hades, Hades probably think wearing the tie for an eternity is enough of a hell already. 

....Also what is on that freaking tie? I probably dislike that tie more than Pat-Expy. 

Hetty and Isaac could easily a share spot in second/third place depending on where I would place Sasappis. I think I need more Sasappis-focused episodes to know that. I like him so far but haven’t gotten to know him enough to confidently place him in 2nd or 3rd favourite character. 

[lesbian-in-leather]

So it's a little late but I finally made the extended version of this post

I'm just going to rewatch the trailer and write down all of my thoughts, but actually expand on everything this time (and it'll actually be mostly in order)

Maybe it's just the cut for the trailer, but the lawyer scene feels very rushed. BBC made it comedic in its own right, not just a setup, but here it feels very much like "have some exposition so we can get to the ghosts". The ghosts should not be the only point of comedy - they're important, sure, but "Samantha" and "Jay" should be able to carry a scene by themselves

"Samantha" doesn't think it through. At all. She cuts off the lawyer after his first buyer suggestion, and "Jay" doesn't seem to be on board with the idea. In the OG, they were both into this (admittedly bad) idea, so the responsibility was on both of them. Yes they rushed into it, but it was way more thought out than just hearing the words "bed and breakfast" and deciding that's your new plan

Why did they age down Pat for "Pete". I hate it. He's younger and skinnier and there's no reason. Like yeah, the OG doesn't have AMAZING diversity, but it's better than this - don't take out diversity in a remake. Didn't think I'd have to spell that one out

The sage joke is admittedly funny. However, it gives us some insight into the ghosts that I'm not the biggest fan of, and let's us see a lot of their new designs. Let's go across, shall we?

"Issac" is so much less dignified than Thomas. I understand that Thomas isn't always as poised as he'd like to think, but there's a level of class that's missing from "Issac", right down to the way he stands

"Flower" looks high. How can a ghost be high, you ask? No idea. But here we are.

"Sasappis" (I read in an article that this is a character name and I believe tis the Native American guy) has such a tiny reaction I almost missed it. He barely moves while everyone else freaks out. I'm hoping they didn't create this character out of the 'emotionless Native American' stereotype but... I guess we'll see

"Hetty" is the replacement for Lady B, and she's super expressive, protective of the others, and so much younger. She was supposed to be a grumpy mother/grandmother figure - why is she literally leaping in front of the others to protect them? That should be the Captain's job but they've axed him so I guess it falls to her now. Also, why did they make everyone so young?? Like, none of the ghosts look over 35. Why. This was unnecessary and, quite frankly, stupid. Why is everyone at this house dying so young? Just so they can market them as fuckable???? L o a t h i n g

Viking Man also barely moved. He seems interested in the sage and is basically a "cooler" version of Robin as far as I can tell. They seem to have taken away the joy of Robin's character, leaving only Some Guy which would be bad in any genre, but ESPECIALLY a comedy. He has potential in theory, but I feel they aren't going to utalise it

"Trevor". I have so much loathing for this man. Let's have some overall analysis, shall we? First of all, we'll start with, what I hope is a well known fact: Julian is not a good person. I love him as a character and he is starting to learn and grow, but at no point does the BBC or the other characters try to justify his behaviour. CBS saw this, and made Trevor. Trevor is younger than Julian (because for some reason they AGED EVERYONE DOWN), which also makes people far more likely to excuse his actions. They seem to be trying to make him a 'loveable fuckup' who makes bad choices because of privaledge, and I am. So worried. That they're going to try and excuse his actions. He already feels like a writer's self-insert and that never bodes well, especially in this type of character. Mark my words, they're going to market him as the 'relateable' one while having him spout misogynistic views (probably also homophobic and maybe even mildly racist/xenophobic ones too)

MOVING ON

Why is "Pete" sarcastic? I don't like it. Pat wouldn't be the one yelling aggressive comments while everyone's actually doing something together - he should be happy! Encouraging! He should be trying to catch up to the moving group instead of attempting to draw attention away from it!

Everyone looked so happy for the dead relative when she moved on. Hate that - it was so funny in BBC when they were like 'fuck off why does she get to leave' - having "Pete" be happy is fine, but the rest of them? WHY IS "HETTY" HAPPY.

Oh look, "Travor" actively flicks "Pete's" arrow to cause him pain. Why. That was so unecessary. None of the ghosts should try to hurt each other out of pure malice, and they certainly shouldn't get joy from it. It feels like CBS is trying to turn us against "Pete" and put us on "Trevor's" side, which I called, but am not a fan of.

And here she is. "Alberta". What the FUCK did they do to Kitty. She has Kitty's colour palette and fits the diversity demographic, but that is where the resemblance stops. Kitty is SUCH a wonderful character because she was an upper class black woman who was allowed to be soft and sweet and innocent and the others all protected her and I LOVED IT. Do you want to hear some fun descriptors they gave to "Alberta" in this article?

"In her time, she dated a bootlegger and has “seen it all,” and is a bit of a diva. Though tough and not one to take crap from anyone, she has a maternal streak and often acts as the protective den mother to the “family” of ghosts"

This is not only far closer to so many stereotypes, but it's the polar opposite of Kitty!! Having a flapper was a pretty cool idea but she could have had the same character traits as Kitty! Why change that! There was NO REASON TO RUIN HER. Also is it just me, or does it seem like they've made way too many of them sarcastic? Like, they've taken away Alison's snarky streak but given sarcastic lines to way too many of the characters

Also can I just take a moment to question the sheer amount of ghosts they've included. I understand that technically there's about the same amount. But with so much less of American history to draw on and the questionable character choices they've made, it feels like there are so many undefineable characters. Like, how do we differentiate them?? Even in the trailer there are so many scenes where most of them are just... standing around. In BBC, they're all so distinct and you get so much out of rewatches because they're all always doing something - look in the background of any shot and the ghosts who aren't talking have a reason to be there! But in this they're just... standing around. Do better.

I've just realised I'm only 0:59 seconds into a 2:16 trailer so I'm going to split this into two parts

Part two is here

[simonfarnabyslegs]

BBC and/or CBS ghosts?

bbc ghosts

the first character i ever fell in love with: i can't remember but probably robin

a character that i used to love/like but now do not: i love all the ghosts, but thomas's alison obsession has begun to get tiring. so i guess thomas even though i do still like him very much.

a ship that i used to love/like but now do not: hmm pretty much anything involving the captain because i don't really want him to be with any of the other ghosts.

my ultimate favourite character: SIR HUMPHREY BONE MY BELOVED <3

prettiest character: again, SIR HUMPHREY BONE MY BELOVED <3

my most hated character: either lucy or eleanor

my otp: mike/alison. i know this is probably a cop out since they're canon, but like. they're the best possible couple in anything.

my notp: pat/the captain. i just don't like it.

favourite episode: the bone plot

saddest death: oh gosh they're all so sad in their own way, but probably pat.

favourite season: season 3

least favourite season: hmm i guess season 1, even though i do still love it. i just like the ghosts more and more over time, especially with how much more they grow to like each other and see each other as family.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves but i hate: again, i don't hate anyone on this show, but i'm not as keen on thomas or the captain as everyone else is.

my 'you're a piece of trash, but you're still a fave' fave: julian >:)

my 'beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this' fave: humphreyyyyyy

my 'this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it' ship: i don't really have any hardcore serious ships for this show so i don't think i actually have an answer for this

my 'they're kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i'm not too invested' ship: thomas/kitty is an interesting concept but i'm not like. out to read or write any fics for it.

i can't do cbs since i've only watch the first episode so far. sorry.

[nurseofren]

Keeping Your Promise - Chapter 29 (NSFW-lite)

Read on AO3 | Read on Wattpad

Read chapter twenty-eight (NSFW)

Title: ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

Words: 5.6k

Summary: I am very uncomfortable with the vibe we have created in the studio Infirmary today...

Warnings: mentions of abuse, suicide

ST Rambles: So... I graduated nursing school. And will be taking my licensure exam next month and start working as well...

In my time away, other than the above mentioned accomplishments, I've been reading a lot of books and even went to see an internet friend just last weekend. Life got insane and I needed to focus on school, and I do appreciate the patience and enthusiasm.

I hope this was worth the wait. I hope the next part will be even more so ;)

[MASTERLIST] || BANNER // @elmidol

Fucking, fuck!

“I know in academy you were told to pierce the skin at a forty-five-degree angle, but it works a lot better if you-,”

“Go in at a fifteen-degree-angle, go parallel to the skin. I know,” you huffed, embarrassment burning your skin. “That’s not the issue. I do that. The issue is-,”

“That is the issue,” Silver corrected, interrupted. Your preceptor-for-all-intents-and-purposes crossed her arms and stared at you with hard, unyielding eyes. “You won’t listen to me,” she spat. “You are the issue.”

Calliope Silvren, or “Silver”, as she’d informed you upon meeting, was everything you were supposed to be. And you hated her for that fact, hated her for that and so much more.

She was intelligent and concise and respected, she knew everything and made sure you were aware that you didn’t. During the past eleven hours, not with so many words, Silver had made it clear that you were never supposed to be here to begin with, that hers was the name in the original provider candidate pool and you were nothing but a fluke, a nobody, nothing.

Compared to Silver, compared to Calliope fucking Silvren, who’d graduated valedictorian, who had star-white hair and golden skin, whose eyes were a harsh sea of frozen cerulean, whose legs were long and lips were full and head was high and posture was perfect – compared to the program’s prototype? What were you other than a fluke? A whim? Compared to her, how were you anything more than the fascination you’d been labeled as from the very start?

As you stared up at her, her height almost that of Kylo’s, and felt the wrath of that frozen sea that resided behind her glare, you couldn’t speak. Every word of defense left you, and your mouth dried and your chest hollowed. Because her words not only rippled through your head but echoed through the unit’s halls so every nurse and physician and maintenance worker had heard them. Heard her and how superior she was, heard how incompetent you were.

Silver knew what she’d done, could feel the eyes of her coworkers gawking at her scolding; you knew by the smallest quirk to her lip, the slightest tick in her platinum brow. She had you trapped and on display, and all you could do was stand here and take it. The Board was watching, and so was Hux – CB-7070 always shadowing ten paces behind – you had no choice but to remain neutral-faced and silent.

She spoke your name and it was beautiful, a voice like sugar even when it slithered and bit like venom, “We’ll pick up tomorrow. If you absolutely need me, I’ll be organizing my report sheets for the oncoming shift.” When no one was looking anymore, her eyes narrowed and she leaned in. “Busy yourself for the next hour.” A sneer slipped past the benevolent mask she wore. “Don’t need me.”

With a steel spine, she whipped past you, stalking off toward her task, the white of her hair streaking from your periphery. And there you were, clutching an IV starter kit – missing the needle, much like you’d missed the vein – trying your hardest to keep from showing any emotion whatsoever. Less people were gawking now that Silver had left, but you still felt eyes on you. Whatever lay in those lingering stares, pity or humor or apathy, it all burned you, reminded you how temporary you were. Not only in this place – the “Infirmary” as the staff referred to it – but in your life, as well.

Smoothing the skirt of your uniform, you cleared your throat and turned to do as you were instructed, catching CB-7070’s visor for a second before peering around the unit. She faced you, and even though you couldn’t see her face, you knew she may be the only one around who was on your side. The white of her helmet glinted as she gave a small nod in your periphery. Yeah, she wasn’t so bad, no matter who she’d report to the second you got back to the Consulate.

The Infirmary was a large unit, and, unlike any place you’d practiced in since graduation, it was efficiently staffed and stocked. Safe nurse-to-patient ratios, sufficient supplies, and an allocated provider available for any emergent orders or treatments. It was a surreal representation of the “hospital utopia” you’d heard of all throughout school.

But, aside from its apparent perfection, some characteristics of the unit confused you, but you didn’t ask about it because no one else seemed to think it was weird, and Silver didn’t exactly foster a great learning environment.

What struck you first was the Infirmary’s construction and layout. It was all glass, floor to ceiling windows that offered full views of each patient in their respective rooms. You’d watched the sun dance across the sky as the day went on, nothing hindering you from the beautiful view of the sea beyond the fanned-out city below. The only thing that offered a semblance of privacy for each patient was the wall-spanning mirror positioned in front of their beds. None of them saw each other, but it was still odd that there seemed to be no concern towards the errant lapse in privacy policy the design created.

At the center was the nurses’ station, large and circular, a skylight fixed right above. The staff used the lack of patient privacy to their advantage, peering above the counter to make sure their assignments were doing alright. Their assignments who were all under the age of twenty. Some much younger, just grasping at adolescence, others kissing young adulthood – those seemed much worse off, something darker rimmed their eyes, ghosted behind the lifeless face all of them wore.

It was a strange environment to be in, even more so due to how vague the progress notes were, history and physicals extremely short and never too in depth, especially when it concerned anything related to the patients’ family history or living situations. Something seemed off, something that tugged at you and made you yearn to break past the flat affect each patient met you with.

So many were here for a few hours and then gone the next, a constant influx of admissions and discharges. But, so strangely, there was never any patient education given, never any parents or guardians for the younger ones to go home to. They were always escorted from the unit by two “official personnel”. And watching their faces as Silver told them they were done with treatment and could leave, it killed you to see the faintest slash of fear quiver their bottom lips.

Beyond that, beyond seeing these younglings so fearful and defenseless, what clawed at your gut the most was that none of them had a name. They had no birthdate information, no address listed, no family contacts entered or even offered. They were all in the system only by the letters “FL” followed by a code of eight numbers. The nurses would refer to them by their room numbers to make it simpler, but none of them shared your concern for the lack of identity these patients were plagued with.

Yes, something seemed off, seemed wrong here. Something waswrong here, but you feared you would be gone before you ever knew what that was.

From the corner of your eye, you saw a tray left on an isolation cart next to a door. Heeding Silver’s command, you approached it, discarding the IV kit and feeling CB-7070’s focus catch your every step. You’d passed this door frequently, never seeing anyone approach it for longer than a few seconds at a time, assuming it was a closet for extra supplies or scanning machines. But the meal card on the tray indicated differently.

This was a patient’s room. The room number matched, there were no other doors labeled with it that you could see. No staff paid you any attention as you peered around. The only one watching was your white-armored shadow standing against a pane of glass.

Shrugging to yourself, feeling you couldn’t possibly get in trouble for delivering a patient’s food, you said over your shoulder to CB-7070, “I’m taking this in. I shouldn’t be long. Don’t follow me in here.” More to yourself, you sighed, “Even if I am the only one here concerned about privacy, I’d prefer not to violate anyone’s rights on my first day.”

CB-7070 nodded. “Affirmative,” her modulator croaked.

A swipe of your new badge gained you access past the door, a whoosh of air whipping through your skirt as it closed behind you. It was pitch dark, the only light coming from a holo-chart programmed into the wall. It appeared you were in an antechamber, those that often came with isolation patients, but there was nothing indicating this patient had any infection or ailment that necessitated a gown or mask.

The air was stale, like nothing and no one had stirred it in a few days, and the only glass visible was that of a window peering into the room beyond – or, it would be peering, were there not closed blinds on the other side of it.

You saw yourself in that darkened pane, clutching the tray to yourself, the first glimpse you caught of your face since the start of shift. Truthfully, you looked awful. Hair frizzed at your temples, a sheen of oil had gathered on your forehead, and exhaustion was evident in the puffy bags beneath your eyes.

But it was an earned appearance, no matter what Silver wanted you and everyone else to believe. Today you did your best and you interpreted and communicated abnormal findings, you assessed every patient without bias and documented everything you did. There were things you were unsure of, not having performed many skills while being assigned to Kylo, but you always asked for help, even though you realized it would be met with disgruntled aggravation after the first few times.

You had done everything right, understanding the consequences if you didn’t. As far as you were concerned, and even as much doubt as she’s caused you in the singular day you’ve known her, Silver was the problem. Not you.

And, not for nothing, the IV you missed earlier… not entirely your fault.

Kylo Ren picked the wrong day to Force-edge you. Or maybe it was you who really initiated the torture, but he’d been the one to follow through with his threat. Every hour had been memorable.

The first three had luckily occurred when you were away from patients but did earn you a few wary glances from the unit staff, your jaw set firm as you gave them a reassuring nod, hoping they couldn’t see how badly you were shaking as your cunt spasmed toward orgasm, but never got there.

There was something vicious in the rate at which he was forcing you toward the edge. Even though you couldn’t see or hear him, you felt like he was tormenting you with spite in mind rather than pleasure, like something you’d said or thought had angered him.

You didn’t have much time to consider that, though, as the hours went on and you’d begged the stars that the slick slipping from your center wouldn’t go past the hem of your dress. A few times you’d cursed the damned uniform, but quickly turned to cursing Kylo Ren for the ever-so-slightly too high hem. It’d surprised you that he never acted on those silent curses aimed at him, that it hadn’t earn you another hour riding the edge of pleasure while choking down the gasps and moans he’d surely intended to draw from you.

During lunch, you’d found a corner and ate alone, speaking to the wall and scorning Kylo under your breath, spitting empty threats, telling him to stop, to slow down. When that hadn’t worked and the Force picked up in pattern and pressure, nudging your clit just right, your hands had clamped around a plastic fork as you held on for dear life. He was nowhere near you and you’d almost cum four times over the course of your twenty-five-minute break. At that point, you’d considered begging him to let you cum, but part of you knew that would only lengthen his schemes.

Other times during shift, when Silver was rolling her eyes when you’d asked for her help, you’d felt the light, teasing lance of the Force trail along your neck. When you were priming tubing for a new admission, you’d felt the strange, unseen presence caress your ear like Kylo’s tongue might. And one hour, right after the previous had left you wondering if you’d be able to stand the next time you needed to – that hour where you’d traded your curses for pleading, traded the harshness you were spitting for the simple, hushed breaths you needed to outlast the never-ending torrent of pleasure he kept surging through you – the Force was kinder, something sentimental in the way it’d weighted your body like Kylo would, draped itself along your shoulders as sweat dried on your brow and the shaking of your legs settled.

A delicate, “Thank you,” had breathed over your lips when the Force – when Kylo’s teasing – seemed it would let up for the remainder of your shift.

But, of course, that peace had been temporary, a strategy to lapse your guard, to make you vulnerable when you’d most needed a clear mind and a steady hand. It had started with the gentle lulls you’d been left with, a stroking tendril swift over the column of your neck, the tourniquet tight to the patient’s arm as you poked their forearm in search of a vein. And when you informed Silver you’d found one, the Force deftly switched its attention to your pussy.

Silver had been scrutinizing you before, but when your shaking hand and short, shallow breaths appeared as fear instead of the pleasure they were born from, her brow had narrowed that much more. When you’d anchored the vein and aligned the needle – at her all-important fifteen-degree angle – your hand had shifted, jumped as your thighs tightened and you fought to trap a moan in your throat. It was an accident that the needle pierced the patient – and, worse, through the vein – at a greater angle, and it wrought you with emotion. Guilt for hurting the patient, shame for screwing up under Silver’s icy appraisal, and unyielding anger for Kylo Ren for causing your fuck up and not being able to explain that.

So here you were, taking the brunt of criticism and punishment for a mistake you wouldn’t have made had it not been for Kylo Ren, and studying your reflection in the scant light offered from the holo-chart of a patient you hadn’t known existed up until three minutes ago.

“Kylo,” you breathed, reaching for the second badge-scanner, “I can’t look bad here. The Board is watching. Hux is watching.” You glimpsed the radar fastened to your wrist, directing your tired eyes at Kylo’s indicator like he could feel your attention on him. “Give me this last hour and let me be good. Let me do well. Let me prove that I can to everyone who believes otherwise.”

A few seconds passed by as you waited for a reaction. Nothing came. The Force remained absent from you, and your shoulders dropped in relief. With a final glance at the chart, noting the patient’s identifier and checking it against the meal ticket, you swiped your badge and the entrance rushed open.

Darkness met you once more, but this darkness was heavier somehow. Not in the way untouched rooms are usually heavy – not with dust or grime – but a heaviness that clutched at your heart. It pressed into you, taunted you even as you remained a step outside the threshold. It was only shadows, unmoving and unremarkable darkness, but it clawed at you. It writhed at your feet and stirred your heart.

This was the darkness that lived behind each of those younglings’ eyes, but here it was concentrated, like this was the very source of it. Like this was its home.

“Hello?” you croaked, still not daring to pass into the shadow-thick room.

No answer, not even a stir. Nothing but that unyielding darkness.

You cleared your throat. “I, um, I have your dinner.” You took a small step forward. “Sorry for the wait… if there was one.”

More of the same. More of nothing.

A light switch entered your periphery with your next step, and you reached for it, but before you could flip it—

“If I wanted it on, do you think I’d be sitting in here like this?”

The voice was weak, small, but not that of a child. Not even that of an ill person, or an elderly one. It was male, though. Boyish, but not a boy’s. Somehow, the voice was young and old at the same time, as if the boy had lived long years already, and those years had worn him down.

The voice was a singular stream against the dark’s thick, silent wrath, and it was hollow, empty like the shadows before you should be. As the question ended, you found that it wasn’t bitterness or pain that lived in its tone, but rather a broken apathy, like whoever this was had cared and fought for so long but had ultimately lost in the end.

“Not that anyone here is really concerned about what I want,” came the voice again, an edge weighting its words.

Finally, you stepped completely into the room. You had to swallow a gasp when the entrance at your back locked shut. The tray jostled in your arms, but you succeeded at remaining upright.

With a sugary tone, you asked, “How will you eat if you can’t see your food?”

A huffed laugh, tired and bitter. “You should work on that nurse voice. Not very convincing.” A long, deep breath filled a few otherwise silent moments. “Send that tray back. Give it to someone who wants it.”

Without your “nurse voice”, you said, “Why did you order it—”

“—I didn’t. I never do. I’m being kept here, why would I want to sustain myself to make my stay that much longer?”

“Kept?” you whispered.

The longer you stood in place, the more your eyes adjusted. The room was still suffocated by the swamp of darkness, but there was some light after all. Scant, but there, a beam of the setting sun speared the room, and from what you had begun to make out of the body in front of you – a small form curled in the center of a bed – you found he was staring out of the broken blinds from which it came, like he was looking at something. Looking forsomething.

“Kept. Held prisoner. Restrained but not restrained because thatwould make this whole operation illegal, right? Whatever way you want to put it, I’ve made it obvious I don’t want to be here.” A long pause and a sad sigh. “Starvation is a better fate than most here, anyway.”

The more he spoke, the clearer it became that his voice wasn’t hollow, but burning with quiet fury. For what, you weren’t sure, but you realized this was the first patient who had spoken all day. And his tone, his words, only solidified the fact that there was something very, very wrong going on.

You walked closer to him, past the foot of his bed until you saw where the small slant of light was focused, what he continued to brokenly fawn over.

“What are you looking at?” you asked, leaning down so you could match your view with his.

He turned his head from the mostly covered window, the creak of light only possible through a bend in the blinds, and he looked at you, a flash of realization spreading through his features before he reined his expression into a void of dull emotion.

He stared at you as you stared at him, appraising you just the same. He was young, but it appeared as though his youth had been leeched from him. Long dark brunette curls framed his face and teased his shoulders, heavy with oil inherent of unkemptness. An immense sadness lived in the downturned state of his mouth, a contrasting anger set in the crease of his brow. And when you finally found his eyes, you restrained a shiver, as the deep hazel burned with that cleave of sun and struck you with the anvil of pain and desperation that lived in them.

He wasn’t alarmed at your proximity but confused. With a shaky voice, and something of a weak sneer biting at his mouth, he said, “You’re a sick, brutal cunt, you know that?”

“What? What do you—”

“What am I looking at? Do not patronize me!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Are you stupid or just cruel?”

“I’m not either, I—”

“You’re both!”

“I’m temporary! I don’t work here! I’ve been here for one shift! I’ve been on this planet for one day!”

Without missing a beat, but less heated and more restrained, the boy said, “Just stupid then.”

He continued to glare at you, but your eyes wandered back to the break in the blinds, and with narrowed eyes you found something that resembled a racing track. It was far out in the distance, but you knew that was what he had been focused on, sure of it by the way his demeanor shifted when you looked back down at him.

“Help me understand, then, if I am so stupid,” you whispered.

“You aren’t any different from the others, no matter if you’re temporary or not. Whatever that means, anyway.” The boy’s jaw set so firm you swore you heard it crack. “You don’t want to understand. If you did, if anyone cared so much, the Infirmary wouldn’t exist.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Help me?” the boy barked. He considered you for a moment, sun and shadow warring across the hollows of his cheeks as he did. Those pained eyes narrowed a fraction. “Who are you? What does temporary mean?”

You leaned away from him, straightening your posture and setting his tray on a counter off to the side. You offered your name, just the first, and dragged an absent-minded finger over the embroidery of your uniform. “Temporary means…”

Perhaps it was his already non-existent trust in you, but you did not think that informing him of the real reason you were here – telling him that your license and life were on the line and you were here so the Board of Physicians would have ease in their decision to end your life or not – would do much to foster his confidence in you, you took a second to frame it in a way that would appeal to him.

Clearing your throat, you kept his stare and said, “Temporary means that I’m here for less than two weeks, and I have no loyalties to any staff here. Temporary means that I do care so much, and I do want to help because temporary also means that I’ve seen some weird shit today, and I don’t understand it.” The boy’s brows raised for a fragmented second, but you knew you’d gained at least a small portion of his respect, so you continued.

With a lowered voice and an unbreakable stare, you said, “Temporary means that I am on your side, and if you let me, if you help me to understand what is going on, I will help you as best as I can.”

The boy shifted, ringing a hand around his opposite wrist, toying with the identification band secured there. He never stopped looking into your eyes, and you knew he was searching for deceit, but the longer he stared, the more he came up short.

You offered him your hand, observing how he flinched away from it, but keeping it extended as he considered it for another few moments.

“I told you who I am. Will you tell me who you are?”

It seemed like the darkness that surrounded you was watching with bated breath, watching in awe as the boy’s gaze remained on your extended hand.

He swallowed, and ever so slowly, with a hesitation that struck through your heart, he lifted his hand and clasped it around yours. The light from the broken blinds coiled around your matched hands, and for the first time today, you felt hopeful. And no matter how dim and breathless it was, a flicker of that same hopefulness played through his eyes.

“I…” the boy hesitated, so you squeezed his hand and offered a reassuring nod. His shoulders relaxed with his next breath. “I am Quynnland. With a ‘Y’.”

“Quynnland,” you parroted, trying it out and letting his hand go. “Do you have any nicknames? Like Quynn? Quynnie?”

“No one calls me Quynnie!” he roared. “Nobody calls me that except…” Quynnland shifted in bed, away from you, turning his face back toward that racing track. His bottom lip quivered, and he appeared as if you’d just lashed him with molten plasma.

“Quynnland,” you soothed, “nobody calls you that except who?”

He remained quiet, but he shuddered, and you saw the light glint off a stream that found its way down the slate of his cheek.

“I want to understand. I want to help you.” You swallowed against your throat, which had become markedly thicker since you last spoke. “Please, help me help you.”

Quynnland’s chin rose, his eyes fell shut, and he balled his hands into tight fists. He wasn’t angry, but in pain, and you knew from the sight of how broken he was that he’d been in pain for a long time now. Perhaps, it seemed, he had never known a day without it.

Just when you were about to speak, Quynnland coughed against a sob and whispered, “They won’t let me see him. He’s there on his own. He’s never been alone for this long.” A tight breath whipped into his chest. “They’re keeping me here so I age out. They’re keeping me away from him.”

“Who is he? What are you aging out of?” The more he offered, the more questions you thought of.

“I almost got us out this time,” he whispered. “I almost saved us both, but they caught me and dragged me away from him. He’s young, but that never stopped them before.” A wheeze of pain slipped from Quynnland’s lips. “They probably broke him just enough so he could still work.”

You didn’t know what to say to that, so you kept quiet.

After what seemed like an eternity, Quynnland spoke again. “My brother. That’s who gets to call me ‘Quynnie’. That’s who I tried to save, and that’s who is suffering because I failed.” He pushed an aggravated sound from his lungs. “The only way you can help me, is if you help him.”

“How do I do that?” you asked, watching as his fists relaxed at his sides.

Quynnland opened his eyes and bore the full weight of their pain into yours. He took a long breath and squared his jaw. “You get him away from the wardens, and then you get him out.”

“Where is he?” you asked, needing to know what that racing track he kept glancing toward was.

He went to answer, but a rush of motion sounded beyond his door, and just as quickly, the entrance to his room shot open. Quynnland ducked his head and balled his fists, and you turned to see that it was Silver who stood in his doorway. She wore an unfamiliar face, one of shock and terror, and you went to speak, but her hand whipped out and signaled that you would notbe saying a word until you left this room.

She stared at Quynnland a moment longer, surveying him like she’d never seen him before. “Eat your dinner. I won’t have you starving to death under my license, not now that this will be your last stay here.” Silver more so talked at him rather than directly to him, and her tone was hard and full of disgust.

It gave you another reason to hate her.

You wanted to reach out and take Quynnland’s hand, but Silver snapped at you before you could. “You,” she sneered. “Out. Now.”

The ice behind her eyes had seeped to her tongue, and her words froze the very blood in your veins. She watched you as you stepped around her and into the antechamber, and you glanced the final withering, aghast glare she shot at Quynnland as you did.

When you reached toward the door that opened to the hall, Silver caught your wrist just before your badge met it. She was eerily silent for a moment, and you swore she was practically shaking with rage, but then she settled herself and stared down at you with such concentrated antagonization that it knocked the breath right from your lungs.

“What made you think you could go into this room? I never went near this room with you today. Why would you be allowed to enter it alone?” She was seething, but she hid it behind something of a gnarled smile.

“There was a tray just sitting outside, unattended to. I figured I would find something to do and deliver it to the patient. No harm done.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes on you. “Are you aware what this patient is here for?” she asked sweetly, but it came off as clear condescension.

Silver waited for you to answer, but you wouldn’t give her the satisfaction she wanted from humiliating you again. So you remained silent, and she sneered at you. “Exactly what I thought. So why would you interact with a patient you know nothing about? And did the double security not tip you off that you were somewhere you shouldn’t be?”

“Look, Silver,” you huffed, enjoying the disgust that smeared across her features as you said her name, “I saw a tray. I had nothing better to do. My badge had access to the room. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

She cast you an undying glare, and her eye twitched when she gave you a once-over. “This patient willfully tried to kill himself and his brother last week. Did he tell you that?”

Your heart blackened, and your ears rang with silence as she let her words sink in.

Silver was pleased with your shocked silence. She went on. “Oh, and did he tell you just how many times he’s tried to do this exact thing in the past?” You remained wordless, feeling betrayed for reasons you couldn’t understand. “No? Not even a guess? Well, he’s a unit regular, if that gives any indication.”

She waited again and was once more elated to be met with silence. “It’s the same story every time. The wardens say he takes his kid brother to the shore and plans on swimming out to the Falls and either drowning to death or dying from impact.”

You swallowed in vain, mouth drier than sand. A part of your knew you didn’t want the answer, but you still asked, “How old… how old is his brother?”

A sick, deathly smile creaked across her perfect face. “Of course, we don’t know exactly, but previous scans estimate that he’s no older than seven.”

Seven. A child. Quynnland had tried to kill his brother… had tried to kill himself and his kid brother…

“Next time, don’t poke around business you don’t understand,” Silver cut your panic short, her frigid tone icing your skin with gooseflesh. “Your shift is up.”

She shoved your shoulder on her way past, but before she could activate the door the room filled with bright red light, and a shrill alarm screamed through the ruby darkness.

It was your watch.

Endless, screeching notes sounded from your wrist. Your stomach dropped, and you couldn’t think for a moment, completely thrown back to that last hour on Starkiller Base.

Kylo was in trouble. Kylo was hurt. Kylo needed you and you weren’t there.

When you lifted your arm as your heart sank through the floor and you read the continuous scrawling message, your feet pounded the ground and carried you away from the unit to wherever he was, wherever your radar was guiding you.

All you could think of was him lying under you, his blood slipping along your skin, and his still, comatose body. And as you made your way to him, not seeing the world around you, hardly aware of CB-7070’s footfalls booming behind you, you kept rereading the message that raced along your watch’s screen, and as you turned corner after corner and fled down hundreds of steps and staircases, the simple, abbreviated message taunted you with the past.

ASSISTANCE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

As it scrawled endlessly across the small screen, all you could think of was how this felt too familiar to the day Starkiller exploded. And the only thought that remained, the only one out of the thousand that flooded back from that day, was that you would fight for the future you’d realized you wanted then.

Only now did you admit the full truth of that thought: the only future you wanted was one where you could be with Kylo. The only future worth having, you realized, was the one where you would spend it with him.

So you ran toward your future. Just as you had run that day not so long ago, you ran toward Kylo Ren.

[jmagnabo92]

CBS Ghosts - Hello! - Ghosts Don’t Like To Be Ignored Part 2

After Jay convinces Sam that the ghosts aren't real, they must come up with a different plan of attack.

Spoilers may appear.

Discussion and Gifs below:

I love how Thor's like "Enemy hurts feelings" when he literally just cursed them and wants them to suffer so that they leave.

OMG Trevor's so excited to have another idea. We can tell a lot about him here. Despite the fact that he knows he's at fault for Sam's fall, and he did/does feel guilty, so he's so excited about having her around that he's like "don't ignore me - not okay."

He's definitely the type to be hurt by exclusion. He definitely dislikes being ignored. it could be why he was sulking a bit earlier in the scene.

LMAO - Trevor name drops and makes these references that frankly looks like Alberta's offended (What is a white party? It's a Labor Day dress in all white party, right? That's what Gossip girl tells me).

Also, he's such a puppy, so excited to have another idea.

LMAO - Thor wants to learn but Trevor's the IDEA is more important. I wonder if that's because of the scene in Episode One where he's like "I've explained these things before".

I love the quick succession here. Thor asks, Isaac answers (so he pays attention to Trevor's stories) and Trevor's like "That's not the point".

I like how Alberta and Sass are looking at him like 'what?' rather than speaking.

LMAO - Pete's face, he's just shaking his head. Like no.... no...

Meanwhile, Trevor's so excited that he stands up quickly - probably because he feels standing gets him listened to more - and immedaitely flashes Sass and Alberta.

No mention of it, but it gets better in a moment.

Aw, Isaac might be a good captain if he understands giving praise. He's like 'oh, Trevor has an idea, it's a good one... praise him'.

I do like that he's willing to listen to Trevor here. Trevor's had a few ideas lately and clearly trying to get a good one in.

OHHHH TREVOR.

I don't know why he's always doing these bowing things, but it's pretty clear that he's flashing Alberta and Sass, who have moved forward on the couch to avoid it.

I can't believe he doesn't think about these things, but then again, he's pantsless for 20 years so...

Feel bad for A & S though. BUT Trevor's cute.

LMAO, Isaac is SO HAPPY about this plan and it's crazy how excited this makes everyone else. They're just like yes!!! Let's DO THIS!

Also, notice Alberta has to move forward 'cause she's getting flashed and Sass does too, and he's like not looking at that.

Meanwhile, Trevor's glowing because they like his idea again!

I wonder if there's some issues with Trevor not being listened to so he's like "It's my idea and it's good!" With his last few ideas. Especially since Haunting didn't work.

It's interesting that Sass actually agrees with this plan. Because he states plainly that he DOES NOT agree with Trevor on principle.

He must really be bored.

LMAO - Isaac and Thor are SO EXTRA.

Isaac's like 'yes, she must acknowledge us and make her life hell' and Thor's like 'yes, and we drive them from the land!'

It's so DIFFERENT to the rest of the crew in the room.

LMAO - Pete intervening like he does ... such a peacemaker - nice friendly chat.

And Thor and Isaac being so opposite "Punish her, kill her"

and Everyone else is like "No, no - bad - let's just get her to talk to us."

I love this ending gif.

Pete's Face.

Alberta saying "It's too much"

Sass saying "Roll it back."

And Trevor's gesture and saying "YOu're making it weird."

I love that they're just like "Stop it - you need to be a little less."

I wonder how everyone dealt and continued to deal with Thor's extraness over the years.

Anyway, This was fun. Mainly for the faces in the background.

Feel free to chat :)

[elise-liddell-oc]

Intermission: This is a personal message to all people that follow me or I've talked to! I woke up and chose violence for today's shit-posting

@yourjungwonnie-cb @ateez-treasure9au-chatbot @kpop-bg-roleplay @vamp-yoongi-cb You have at least 15 accounts and can't keep up with one of them sometimes... Go to sleep child!

@m00n-miaka-cb You're too nice, that's all. I hate it when you're politer than me, stay in your lane and stop making me feel better about myself. THAT'S MY JOB, BIATCH!

@yourxtzuyu Sometimes you're the annoying middle child that gets ignored by everyone, we know you exist but we don't know who's child you are! Explain yourself!😜

@tangsan-x-douluocontinent You change the theme like you're changing socks, I forgot who you are at this point. If you had a break-up with someone, changing your haircut isn't going to rub off the fact that you're stupid and haven't slided in my dms yet to maintain a friendship. I'm so disappointed in you 😭

@sevendeadlysins-mx If I die, you're going to die with the rest of us. You ain't got no choice in this case. I'm a ride or die, just tell me where the body is so that I can reserve our place in hell and bury you besides that one for evenness! 😈

@hybridxgirls You're a good choice, a bit basic , but still a good choice. 10/10 would throw you in the pool though, you need to get freshed up a bit. It's going to be summer soon.

@urbhboys You suck at lying, which is why you can't play among us with me XD

@model-lucy You need Jesus for what you did to those plants. Unacceptable.

@serenityrose-oc You follow me because we're kinda the same...yet different. You type in tiny, my eyes can't squint like that for longer without it looking WEIRD😂. Are you typing in tiny so that everyone calls you cute or are you doing this so that you have your Senpai's attention? I'll gift you magnifying glasses in the futureXD

@wooyoungbfbot You know too much, shut up! 😭

@taehyung-bot You also know too much, don't tell my parents please 🥺

@witchy-ryu It's been too long, I unfortunately surpressed my deepest memories of you....but you look like a scrunched potato when you wake up at night to go pee in the bathroom. We can hear you, stop flushing at nightXD

@fallenangel-oc You really make it hard for me to playground insult you, so kindly take this bag with a kick in the ass and go do something else, please

@darling-softeez You didn't do anything to me, what is wrong with you? Go do something, anything

@chickendidi Who in the fuck are you? I don't know you. You just appeared out of nowhere and didn't pay rent in on my follower's list... disappointing

@build-a-roleplay You're kinda weird, too much going on by just the username and I feel like I'm going to the actual store myself here. Just- what IS your job? You don't get paid enough, do ya?

@chans-chair @og-matthew Shut up, I'm still waiting for you to come home. If you don't, the couch is your new home 🥰

@yanderenayeon You're going to kill me. And I'm waiting for the day with my Nerf gun, bring it on bitch!

@incubuswooyoung You had a good death streak, now everyone thinks that you're a ghost lurking around somewhere. I may or may not, told everyone you'll be missed already. I'm not sorry 😐

@incubus-san Perfect example, you are dead. You'll be missed somewhere. I can still hear their voices somewhere in the distance, such a good friend they were by now.

@kboyscb You're new, which makes you my bitch from now on. If you were on fire and the only way to extinguish it would be a cup of water, I'd drank it and sold your body for a pack of chips afterwards~

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Would love to hear your predictions for the Africa tour. Thanks!

My big prediction is: SECOND PREGNANCY!!! Anyone else with me?

The UK press will threaten not to go because Brexit drama is in full swing, but they show up anyway because the Sussexes tell them that Meghan is preggo and they will get bump pics and Archie baby pics and Harry will walk through a minefield with a Halo vest like his mom did. Tim Rooke expresses skepticism but joins the tour anyway. Rebecca English skips the tour and covers PC and Camilla instead. Camilla Tominey skips the tour to focus on Brexit. Richard Palmer skips the tour because he has to wash his hair.

Jess pap-walks at Heathrow airport to get the “styling Meghan for her tour press” and show she’s totally not ghosted.

The reporters end up only getting shots of a baby-sized bump under an organic cotton baby blanket and Harry wears the vest, but does not walk through the minefield. Brexit drama overshadows the whole tour. The press ends up even more pissed than they were before.

Meghan bellycups, but not as much as in Australia.

They do a lot of behind-closed-doors events with pics released through their IG. They tell the press they are doing it to protect the baby and because Megs is pregnant and not feeling well. Chris Jackson takes all the pics. The press gets angrier and angrier. 

Meghan skips the outdoor events claiming she has to take care of the baby. Harry has to visit his surfing charity alone. He gets aggressive with the press and says something about the environment. 

They have a food event. Meghan talks about spices and distributes signed copies of her cookbook. A DM commenter asks why she didn’t write inspirational messages for the chefs on the decorative plantains.

Meghan doesn’t wear any South African brands and wears a hideously expensive couture gown to an embassy office party. She wears an item from her own collection and it gets more press than anything else she wears because her staff forgets to cut off the tag. Melanie Bromley shows she’s gone native by non-ironically using the phrase “bless her heart” on air.

Meghan orders that the normals be kept away from her and an “overzealous bodyguard” is blamed for it. Ken Wharfe hits the tabloid and morning show circuit telling everyone that Diana would have handled it better.

They take a private plane. Piers Morgan half-heartedly calls them hypocrites on television, but he doesn’t write a column about it because he’s too busy with Brexit.

Rumors about house-shopping abound. The DM reveals that Harry and Meghan went house-shopping and fell in love with a $200 million gated community villa on a cliff with a killer ocean view, and it will cost UK taxpayers a bazillion billion pounds a year to secure it. 

Meghan wears a see-through item of clothes. Omid writes a five-article explaining how it’s actually an optical illusion.

Harry visits Sentebale on his own.

The private plane, gated villa, and couture gown stories gain traction, so the Sussexes leak a fake story to Emily Andrews about how Harry bought take-out at a local Nando’s because Meghan had a craving. Richard Palmer calls Nando’s from London and they deny it.

They take Archie to meet a member of the Mandela family behind closed doors, and they post black-and-white pics taken by Chris Jackson and Mandela quotes on their IG. Even though the UK press was told there would be no press at the event because Archie has to be protected from evil reporters, someone from CBS magically appears on-site and Gayle King gets an exclusive. Omid explains that Gayle was vacationing in SA with her cameraman and she had no idea there was a tour going on. She ducked into the Mandela Museum to go to the restroom, was surprised to find Meghan there, and figured she might as well get a quick interview. A member fo the Mandela family defends Meghan and says the press criticisms are racist. 

Harry is sulky during the minefield engagement. They blame it on the mummy memories. Brexit drama overshadows everything. The minefield event is almost a bust, but Tim Rooke magically gets a pic of Harry that looks exactly like the iconic Diana pic and the day is saved.

The DM reveals that Meghan’s tour wardrobe cost 100,000 pounds.

A staff member quits after the trip. Actually, make that two.